The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-06-22
Christian Neighbor.
BY REV. SIDI HI. BROWNE,
Of the Seuth Carolina Conference
Romanism and Republicanism.

The old man beside the Tiber and
the government of this nation, that
has its capital beside the Potomac, are
as antagonistic as the Inquisition and
the free school. The Vatican holds
the only power our republic may fear.
Romanism is tolerant beneath the
stars and stripes because it has to be,
but that the Papacy would revise the
Constitution of our country if it could,
any man knows who knows the spirit
of either. Our Constitution guaran-
tees to us the sacred boon-the liberty
of conscience. What does the mitred
despotism of Rome think of this?
answer. In the encyclical letter oi
Plus TX. (Aug. Is, 1854, we read
1.-THE absurd and erroneous doctrines
or rawlings in defence Of liberty Of con-
science are most oestilential e1ror-a
pest of all others most to be dreaded an
a state." (The italics are ours.) This
infallible oracle, in another deliver
ance made in his Encyclical Letter OF
December s, 1864, curses "those who
assert the liberty of conscience and OF
religious worship" also ''all such as
maintain that the Church may not en-.
oloy force" Italics ours.) How do
the princes and supporters of this pa.
pal foe of our Constitution, who hold
their double allegiance to Rome and
America Rome first,) how do these
american citizens like such utterances ?
Do they repudiate them as traitorous ?
Not much. Hear Bishop O'Connor,
who says, "Religious liberty is merely
endured until the opposite can be car
ried into effect without peril to the
Catholic world"
That. the pope demands the political
and religious allegiance of every
American Catholic, native or foreign,
we all know. What do bishops, cardi-
nails, and even the pope himself say ?
In Lenten letter March, 1879, Bish-
op Gilmour said, "Nationalities must
be subordinate to religion, and we
must learn that we are Catholics first
and citizens nert. The Church is a6ove
the State"
Cardinal McCloskey said of the
Catholics of the United States: "They
are as strongly devoted to the susie
nance and maintenance of the tempo
raj poWer of the Holy Father as Cath
olics in any part of the world; and if
it should be necessary to proUe 1t 6Y
acts, they are ready to do So"
Hear Cardinal Manning, who puts
these words into the. mouth Of the
pope: II acknowledge no civil power,
I am the subject of no prince. l
claim to be the supreme judge and di-
rector of the conScienceS of men-of
the peasant that tills the fields, and of
the prince that sits upon the throne, of
the household that lives in the shade
of privacy, and the legislator that
makes laws for the Kingdoms 1 am
the sole, last supreme judge Of what is
right and wrong.n Again he says,
1--WE declare, affirm, define, and pro-
nounce it to be necessary to sdtUatlon
for every human creature to be subject
to the Roman pontiff." This blasphe-
nous assumption is only equalled by
the following utterance of Cardinal
Bellarmine, who said, IF the pope
should err by enyoining vices or forbid
ding virtues, the Church a0ould be o6-
iged to believe vices to be good and
virtues bad, unless it would sin against
conscience" If Romanism and Re-
publicanism have solitary thing in
common, it as yet remains to be seen.
These, not to mention other facts
and statements, which might be mnl-
tiplied, showing the animus of Ro-
manism toward Republicanism, are
certainly sufficient to warrant a re-
reading, in the light of the state of
things to-day, of these words of Lafay-
cite, who, though Romanist, was
brave and honest enough to say: "If
the liberties of the American people
are ever destroyed, they aOiU fall By
the hands of the Ronaish clergy."
This "Romish clergy" are at it day
and night, and let us understand their
purpose and endeavors. They are bid
ing their time, but they are preparing
for it. We may ridicule this rising
power of Rome, but the conflict is
coming, and may be here sooner than
we think.--Herdld and Pres6yter.